“Mhmm?! Princ—”

“Shush!”

A day has passed since I teleported Saori’s group to Firwood, where they would begin their journey through the Belzac Forest in search of its namesake, the S rank fenrir, Belzac. I woke up inside the RV this morning, as Grimnir’s group had to wait for the train to return to Estralia. Meaning, his trip to the Ankor-Nazta would be delayed.

After I said my goodbyes to the bishop of the local Temple of Aurena, also thanking him once again for all the help he gave me, I went over to Reajaen’s place. Parilostro, her son, was moved from the destroyed dungeon to their mansion, but hadn’t woken up yet. However, from the looks of it, he was merely resting and having his body get used to his new heart. Reajaen expected him to wake up in a few days.

While I did come to her mansion to check up on Parilostro, I also was there to say goodbye to Reajaen and also to receive my boat tickets from her. My trip to Yeos would probably be faster if we flew over there, but the festival only started next month. Aurena had told me it was fine if I took my time, since she’ll just warn me if something happens.

“Alright, I’ll leave the rest to you, Reajaen. If you need any help, go to Gael and don’t be afraid to work him like a mule. Shaturein can probably afford it, anyway,” I told her after receiving my tickets.

“You mean monitor me,” she responded bluntly. “I won’t say you should trust or not worry about me. As a merchant, the best way to gain somebody’s trust is through action and effort. You give them a quality product, and they will continue their patronage. It is as easy as it gets. You have given me the tools, my lady, so I will make sure to repay the debt of saving my son’s life back. I will become president of Estralia.”

Shaturein, Artorias, and Jadhund from Gleisvale’s dwarven district promised to aid her. I honestly didn’t know how Jadhun would do it, but with the dwarves on Reajaen’s side, I do not believe any of the other senators could challenge her properly. It was just a matter of time.

And so, I would trust in her, for now. Saying goodbye to Ellaine, Grimnir, Daichi, Haruka, and the Magical Biscuits, I left for the pier for a “family vacation.” Well, most likely things would be a bit hectic, but until we reached the Principality of Yeos, I only had Mother, Tasianna, Rajah, and the twins with me. That was pretty much a family boat trip, yeah?

Still, when we got on the boat, I expected the ride to be a fun one. It was a relatively high-tier cruise ship meant for rich merchants and nobles. It wasn’t very big, since we were on a river, but I noticed several well-to-do people when I boarded, all protected by their own guards. Reajaen wanted to treat me, it seemed.

Gleislane, the river we were on right now, traveled east into the Kingdom of Astraford, Estralia’s neighboring nation. From what I heard, Astraford was pretty much similar to Artorias in that they were a medieval, European-style country, only with magic and fantasy mixed into it. Except that Astraford was extremely beastmen-unfriendly, had slavery, was extremely loyal to the empire, and was extremely vigilant against mages since the Magical Capital Aleistunum was right next to them.

Reajaen mentioned that if you were a mage and weren’t registered at a mage’s guild and were not granted permission to enter Astraford, you could be trialed and executed for potentially being a spy or ‘threat to the kingdom’s security!’ Fun.

I wondered what Mother and the twins would do if they actually stopped us for that reason. Mother and the twins didn’t want to register themselves to the mage’s guild, after all. Mother would abide by local laws as long as she found it not tedious, and I even managed to persuade her and the twins to get IDs, at least. However, they were not fans of being “bound by human laws.”

Something about an Empress and natural disaster being above all of that. The wyverns also had no love of how controlling everything was. Honestly, I really should sit those three down and have a talk with them about being too stubborn.

Anyways, if it happened, it’d happen. At least, I had evidence of their identities with my ID and status as a princess.

Once our boat had finally left the docks, we headed to our cabins, took a break there, and then decided to enjoy the breeze a bit before trying out the diner. Reajaen complimented it.

However, while we were walking around, Tasianna suddenly encountered somebody she had met before. In fact, I only got to see them for a few seconds before dashing away, but I still remembered them. Most likely since they were levianewts!

“Adhi!” Tasianna cried out as I shut the giant scalekin’s mouth up, stopping him from calling me “Princess Hestia” while on the boat.

Everyone on board probably knew who I was, but they were keeping a careful distance for now. If somebody suddenly confirmed it, they might come to me to talk. I didn’t want to deal with merchants on my family trip!

“Hey, you should know better than to reveal someone on a pseudo-adulthood pilgrimage,” I whispered into his ears, causing him to nod furiously.

I let his mouth go, seeing as he understood me. He bowed reservedly before speaking, “Depth Goddess drown me, my apologies! I-I the surprise was— ahhhhhhhhh!”

This levianewt, Adhi, stopped talking for a moment. His mouth was agape as he turned his head around to the person behind me — Mother. He began to tremble, shivering as if he was freezing.

I turned around, but Mother was only looking at him normally, even showing a polite smile. What was going on here? But then I figured he probably felt the [Draconic Aura] Mother had naturally, which probably was extremely noticeable to another scalekin’s senses. Cernust had a similar reaction, after all.

“Uhm, let me introduce you. This is my Mother, Melloxtressa. Our bodyguards, Shayatierus and Bethlieranha. You already met Tasianna and me before. And also,” I picked up Rajah like a cat. “Rajah, our bestest boy.”

[“Master, I can smell a lot of fear from him,”] Rajah said out loud with his [Telepathy]. The moment he learned how to speak properly, he became even more talkative.

I put him down and ignored what he said. “Anyways… Adhi, sorry if we surprised you like that. We’re just here for a trip. It’s not exactly secretive or anything, but we would still like you to be quiet about it. If possible.”

“Y-Yes! Of course, my lady. As the Depth Goddess is my witness, I shall adhere to your command!” He was pretty enthusiastic.

“Hmm.” Looking up and down the levianewt’s attire, I noticed he wasn’t wearing the captain outfit he had on the last time I met him, back when Saori brought him in to question him about the O’Bloom’s bandit base. When I asked him about it, he smiled and bumped his chest with his fist.

“Why, this is far more convenient to work in, of course! A captain’s outfit is there to present yourself, your prestige and your command, but if you need to work, plainclothes are better! Hahahaha!” he laughed, but I was questioning why he was supposedly working on this ship.

“Miss Saori and I already told you that you may leave Estralia,” Tasianna spoke up to Adhi. “We resolved your issue with O’Bloom. Why aren’t you taking the next train back to Ankor-Nazta?”

“Ah, that?” Adhi scratched his head, looking away bashfully. “Well, you see. Do you remember when I said how everybody's drinks and meals were on me? Well, like a sudden storm, after running the numbers through my head, I realized I was lacking in funds to buy the train tickets for my crew. Even for myself, to be honest.”

… Hold on, what?

“I am a man of my word, after all — Goddess Plesia is my witness. My word is my honor. What captain can be trusted when he cannot even pay for his men’s meals and drinks? Mutiny, my lady! God Melicertha would probably strike me with storms, if I were to do that!”

“… Wait, so, you are actually working on this ship? Like, for real?” I quizzed him, looking confused at what he was telling me.

“Yes. The rest of my men are also on it. We are being paid and the captain is feeding us. This ’re’s a fine vessel, I concluded. Also our only route back to Caedhul.”

… This captain is an idiot. That was my conclusion after hearing all of that. How could you be so irresponsible with your money that you would strand yourself and your crew in a foreign country, forcing everybody to work for their trip back home?

“But! The peace after a storm, of course! Us levianewts feel more at home on this ‘re boat than on land anyways. Down the mountain and out with a carriage, and all of that, locked inland. The path home with the dwarven train is arduous, my lady. Harsh, for us seafins. With this, we can work as sailors to earn our keep. Once we’re in Elyonda, I’ll find a vessel to Port Annencia and afterwards, a trading ship to Port Hevalentus.”

Elyonda was the capital of the Principality of Yeos. That was our destination.

“Oh, right, that small human country is near to the waters, correct?” Mother responded. “I presume you levianewts usually port there when you trade, correct?”

“Yes, your majes— my exalted lady. Large Caedhulen trading ships rarely need to dock, since us seafins can live off the oceans. However, I am an independent transporter captain. I transport goods and people. Many other smaller vessels dock in mainland ports to make ends meet as well,” he explained. “It isn’t always pleasant to work with humans, since the officials are hard to deal with. But, sailors are sailors. A hearty meal and a jolly tune, and you can motivate even the grumpiest sea serpent, hahahaha!”

Well, at the very least, his attitude was infectious.

Idiot or not, it seemed this Adhi was a good person at the end of the day. I guessed if you lived your life moment by moment, money shouldn’t be an issue.

“You said you’re heading for Elyonda, right?” I asked.

“Ai, my lady! Crew’s contract ends there, and we’re inbound for some land days probably. If you ever need something, come summon me. Good waves and weather are assured. We made a proper rite to Melicertha to assure the vessel’s safety.” He shook his fist, proud of the rite he made to his god.

“Mhmm. Thanks, we’ll be in your hands. Also, we’ll be on for the entire voyage, so once we’re there, could you show us around a bit? We need a tour guide, after all.”

“Mhmm! By the Depth Goddess, it would be an honor. Ha, but pray forgive me, I only know the ports. Not much reason for a scalekin to move further inland, ahahahahaha!”

Our talks with Adhi quickly stopped when he was called out by one of the other sailors. He laughed as his response before saying goodbye to us to return to work. We waved in response before going to the diner.

Honestly, it was just alright. It was nowhere near the level of what you would expect from a meal prepared for nobles, but it was also nothing like the chaotic, but lively, atmosphere of a normal eatery in the middle district of the cities and towns I’ve visited. Really, this place just seemed like a place for the rich merchants to flaunt their wealth around as they spoke with nobles wanting to go on a trip.

After our meal was done, my group unanimously decided to just open a [Room] in our cabins the next time and eat whatever Tamae was cooking. It would be less stuffy and the meals would be more delicious. If I wanted to attend a noble’s dinner, I would go to a noble’s mansion to do so. Not a sparse imitation with mostly people trying to act important.

Nobles who were confident in themselves and their family knew they were important. They didn’t have to try to justify it. It was an entirely different experience, nothing like this fake.

Days passed by as we stayed on the boat. Unlike a modern cruise ship, there wasn’t much on deck to entertain us. No swimming pool, no arcade, or really anything, really. I already mentioned how small the ship was, but it was also lacking in entertainment.

The other guests mostly spent their time either talking with each other or taking walks on the deck, watching the admittedly beautiful sights of the large river and the woods around it. When we would dock, that was when our party could finally do something outside of just sunbathing.

On the third day, we entered the borders of the Astraford Kingdom. On the fourth day, we docked at a place where we had to go through immigrations, or maybe their border control. I guess what Reajaen mentioned with being suspicious of mages came true now.

Tasianna and I did just fine since we had our IDs on us. We got our permissions after we answered some questions and it was all fine and dandy, outside of the guards giving us the stink eye and talking badly behind our backs. I wonder, if I hadn’t used my ID’s function to hide certain information and they found out I was a dragon princess, would they have treated me differently? Meh, whatever.

On the other hand… the captain of the vessel handed in the guest list to the authorities. Mother tried to hide herself and the twins using her scales, but until the border guards got to question them, they were stopping the ship from going.

Oooh, you could say this was bad. Like, really bad. In the end, Mother and the twins showed themselves, but those three really were not fond of the guards calling them up as if they were dogs. Their [Terror Aura] was so suffocating, some of the guards even fell unconscious as they approached them.

And, honestly, I couldn’t feel any sympathy. They outright insulted my mother when she finally revealed herself. She was furious, and she let everybody know about it. When the local border captain came over to see what was happening, all the border guards were already down for the count. At least, Mother’s control of her aura was immaculate. Our fellow guests were spared by her rage.

“Sir, excuse me. There’s a misunderstanding. Please, take a look at this.” I had to intervene before they started calling in violence.

“Haaa? You’re already checked on, reptile. Back off, and get the hell back to the line as we told you! Goddess forgive me, you beasts should know when to listen.” It was impossible to reason with these people!

What the fuck was wrong with these lame border guards?!

Anyways, after the border captain’s soldiers also fell unconscious from Mother’s sheer pressure, I managed to “persuade” him for long enough to sit down and hear me out. I showed him my ID again, particularly the part about me being a [Princess] and also my last name.

“Y-Y-You’re dragons?!” He almost pissed himself in the process.

Suffice to say, it was a nightmare of a day, really. In the end, I managed to get the guard captain to let us leave, but it was already late afternoon before the ship finally disembarked. Considering how much trouble we brought to the cruise ship’s captain, I had to apologize, but even more surprisingly was Tasianna, who willingly volunteered to help the ship out as its water mage.

“Really?” Tasianna rarely did anything proactive when it came to humans, and most of the people on the ship were humans.

“Well, the trip has been boring for my lady, so I thought it might be better if we sped it up a bit. Also, her Imperial Majesty is at fault here, so we should take responsibility since she is your mother, Lady Hestia.” Tasianna’s demeanor had vastly changed. That icy maiden personality of hers certainly seems to have to thawed out, especially when she gave the captain details on how she would help out.

I guess going to Estralia was the correct choice in the end.

I left her there, seeing as she was doing fine by herself. I went back to our cabins, where I had a strong talk with Mother and the twins.

“You three will register yourself at the next mage’s guild we visit! I will transport you to Griffonpeak, if I have to!”

“I refuse.” But Mother was still stubborn. “I am not human. This is not my land. As I said before, all of these restrictive rules are only there for people to control their populace. Why should I, a foreigner who bears no ill will towards them, have to follow something like this? I can understand why you want to fit in for your dream, Hestia, but I see little reason why I should do it.”

“Because it’s the right thing to do and it would cause us fewer problems, Mother! Why can’t you get this in your head! I told you this multiple times, already! You are in human lands. You need to follow their rules, otherwise we’ll continue getting into this sort of trouble! Artorias already knew you and Estralia only demanded your IDs, but some factions are more strict. Like the mage’s guild, or what we just saw before.”

“Mage’s guild? That puny looking ant in Estralia, you mean? That ant who tried to cage me in with his laws, to make me another part of his organization’s vast array of networks and connections? Don’t jest, daughter. Just who does he think he is? I have seen 3000 years fly by. I have learned more than he would ever achieve, and he dared threaten me? Like those humans from before? Threaten and insult?”

I still remembered how Mother froze the entire mage’s guild in Estralia after its guild master asked Mother to join the guild as a member. She declined for this very same reason, but when the guild master still continued, even urging her by reciting the laws of the land of how all mages needed to register with the mage’s guild, Mother just blew up. When I left Estralia, the guild building was still frozen in place.

“But you saw what happened today! I don’t get how you can’t just say ‘Whatever. I’ll do it and just get a membership.’ Does it really matter? I am one, but no one has bothered me about it to this point,” I replied but Mother still had that same look in her eyes.

“I asked Muraina about it. She told me you were fined a heavy sum by the mage’s guild in Griffonpeak.”

I flinched. I didn’t expect her to learn about that.

“Do you call this something a good-willed organization would do? They punish and drive you to the point you must join their guild, or you will be treated as a criminal,” Mother furiously chastised my actions. “The arcane arts are dangerous and highly volatile for the lives of many people, especially to those ignorant of them like most humans and beastmen. I agree with that. Don’t get me wrong, Hestia, I understand rules were made for some past reason. It is an adaptation. It still doesn’t warrant them strong-arming you or me into their fold.”

“But… things like before will just happen, again. Aleistunum, and as their proxy, the mage’s guild, are everywhere. Most definitely, if there is a mage guild in Yeos’s capital, they will most likely try to do the same as in Estralia… Mother, I want to follow their laws, so I will have to register myself there. I don’t want trouble.” In the end, Mother’s own outburst was the catalyst to cool me down.

“And you may. You are your own person, Hestia. You want me to accept you as an adult in a whelp’s body, right? But I will freeze up more of their guilds if they try to coerce me into this humiliation. I did not train for centuries to become a pawn of some pompous mage. I am an Empress of Kargryx, an SS rank dragon, and a survivor of the demon wars. They will grant me and my daughter our due respect, or they will answer to my breath.”

“…”

It was futile. Mother’s own pride overshadowed anything I said. I looked over to Shay and Beth, and they seemed to be following Mother’s opinion on this matter.

[“We will not bend to anybody but you and your mother. Their words and attitude showed little care for us. Why should we care for them?”] Shay bemoaned the actions of Astraford’s guards. It was only a short visit, but it left a bad taste in his mouth.

[“In the mountains, only the strong reign free. The strong create the laws,”] Beth said something dangerous, potentially problematic if any monarch were to hear this. [“Astalos was the second strongest there. He led us, and we followed him. He was defeated by you, Princess Hestia. You are strong. You must show your pride as a dragon, a being of incredible power.”]

I knew Beth meant nothing bad with the last part, but it still went contrary to what I believed. Unless I wanted the whole world to hate me or if I wanted to rule it all, following their local laws was how I should act. I was an idol, not a warmonger. Unless they weren't totally unfair, I would not go around breaking them.

Although, working with Shaturein and Reajaen already is tipping the very limits of the law. Haaaaa.

“Rajah, don’t forget to be nice, alright?” Unable to convince them once again, I hugged Rajah to comfort myself.

[“Big Sis Beth is right, Master. You are strong. You should not bow as an alpha predator,”] he just said.

“…”

They had the mindset of monsters, while mine was that of a human. I guess seeing eye-to-eye here would always be an uphill battle for either side.

With this discussion being mostly fruitless, we stopped it for the day and returned to the subspace. During our argument, Tasianna left to make her deal with the captain by acting as the ship’s water mage as compensation. She would turn the waves into ice and move the ship with her [Cryokinesis], essentially cutting down on our trip by days.

In the meantime, as that happened during our trip, I spent my time with Mother, the twins, and Rajah by returning to my obsidian cavern to train up. I still had more to learn about scale management and also [Volcanic Blaze], not to mention Kramps’s [Battle Frenzy] training.

“From what I understood about lust, you will eventually lose interest in it, correct? On the other hand, greed is about ‘want,’ while gluttony differentiates itself with ‘need.’ As you said.”

This was the second step on my road to mastering [Battle Frenzy]. Kramps and I have been going through this same explanation over and over again after I had finished mastering my “slothfulness.” To find contentment with what I have now, and to know when to act slower to attain a goal.

From what Kramps explained, by mastering the first step, it should be impossible for me to randomly go berserk again if I repeated this mantra. Well, outside of something terrible happening, at least. I didn’t need to constantly fight or spar to keep my desire to fight intact.

So, what does gluttony do?

“Like Mother, when she trained up to become an SS rank to conceive a strong child?” I remembered what Mother told me about her past.

And so on. Training, training, training; it was all about training. And I couldn’t stop. If I wasn’t preparing for my next concert, my time was spent on bettering myself. After all, I had a great “need” to constantly grow.

And so, a whole week passed at this rate. Tasianna’s involvement enabled us to reach our destination nearly a week earlier than the captain predicted. On the 29th of HarvestBloom, my group arrived in the Principality of Yeos.

In the meantime, for the other groups, Grimnir’s group had reached the Ankor-Nazta already and were currently forming a plan to take back everything from Grimnir’s old workshop, including his cousins. On the flip side, we had lost full contact with Saori’s party after they told us they would be talking with Belzac the next time they left the nexus.

Honestly, I was worried. It was really creepy to see Saori gone like this. To see anybody gone for this long. But I had to trust in them. Whatever Saori was facing there in the Belzac forest, I had to believe she would survive it.

As such, until we meet again, I had to focus on the first goal of my stay here.

Make contact with Plesia’s Saint and Champion.